Modified sweep circuit for cathoderay tubes



'0ct.A 14, r1947. w. H. Buss MODIFIED SWEE'P CIRCUIT FOR CATHODE RAY TUBES Filed June 4, 1943 wwl vv vv "-INVENTOR BYU/g ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 14, 1947 MODIFIED SWEEP CIRCUIT FOR oATHoDE- RAY TUBES yWarren H. Bliss, Orono, Maine, assignor to Radio Corporation Ware 4 Claims.

This invention relates, generally, to systems employing cathode ray tubes for obtaining oscillographic observations of wave forms. Known types of systems employing such cathode ray tubes, mentioned herein by way of illustration, are: (1)

Measuring systems for determining frequency response characteristics of electrical networks; (2) radioplane locators; and (3) scanning receivers for scanning a given frequency band of the radio spectrum and for locating signals which appear therein. i Y

For most of the applications'in which cathode ray Oscilloscopes areused, a linear time base or sweep circuit isemployed. There is a demand, however, in some kinds of oscillographic observations for increasing the denition at a given point in the cathode ray sweep path so that a given' detail of the reproduced Wave form may be expanded for closer scrutiny.

The present invention, broadly stated, com-l prises a circuit for producing a normally linear or Saw-tooth sweep voltage which can be modified in such a way as to amplify or expand any desired portion yof the otherwise linear time base. Systems for accomplishing the same general purpose of the present invention have heretofore been proposed, and are described in Sherman United States Patent 2,175,001, granted October 3, 1939, and in Woli United States Patent 2,300,- 189, granted October 27, 1942. The system of the present invention is an alternative arrangement which has advantages over the known systems in many applications.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a time base for a cathode ray oscillos'cope which allows a wide spreading of a comparatively narrow pulse of periodic nature, such as used in ionosphere measurements and radio plane locators.

Another object is to provide a linear time base modifying circuit which has a wide degree of nexibility of control and adjustment.

Afurthfer 'object is to provide a simple and eicient circuit for expanding any desired portionof the linear part gf a saw-tooth voltage wave withoutaltering the overall saw-tooth velocity-` A still further objectivs to provide an improved circuit for modifying a desired portion of a triangular voltage v lave.`

Ot'h'er objects and the features of the invention wili appear from e, reading of the following description in `conjl'irmiction with an accompanying drawing,` wherein: i

Fig. 1 illustrates a specific circuit embodiment of theY present invention, and

of America, a corporation of Dela- Application June 4, 1943, Serial No. 489,635

(Cl. Z50-27) Fig. 2 graphically illustrates, by means of a plurality of curves, the Aoperation of the system of Fig. l.

The system of Fig. 1v comprises, essentially,

three units surrounded by dash lines and labeled Saw-tooth wave sweep circuit, Phase shifter and Pulse generator. The Saw-tooth sweep circuit is, in elTect, a conventional saw-tooth generator, while the Pulse generator includes an unbalanced or unstable vacuum tube trigger circuit and a saw-tooth voltage generator for controlling the trigger circuit.

Thesaw-tooth wave sweep circuit serves to generate a triangular wave form and more particularly saw-,tooth wave form oscillations and comprises, in the particular embodiment shown, a gaseous tube 2 which is arranged to rapidly discharge a condenser 3y suddenly and periodically through the space path of the tube after the charge on condenser 3 has reached a critical value. Normally, the condenser 3 is charged at a uniform rate through a constant current limiting pentode vacuum tube l. The gaseous tube 2 is a grid-controlled tubeY of the Thyratron type and has its grid connected through the secondary winding of an audio transformer 5 to the sliding contact of a bias control potentiometer 6. The primary winding of transformer 5V is connected to a cycle synchronizing source through leads 4. The screen grid of pentode I is connected to a condenser 8 and to a tap on pontentiometer 1, both of which serve to maintain the screen grid at a stable direct current value. The cathode and the suppressor grid of pentode I are connected together and to ground through a variable resistor 9; Variable resistor 9 controls the linear rate of charge of condenser 3. When the voltage on condenser. 3 reaches a critical value which occurs when the positive voltage on this condenser overcomes the negative bias on the grid of gas tube 2, aV discharge path is established through the tube 2. The 60 cycle synchronizing source, labeled as such, assures the break down of gas tube 2 at a desired point in the cycle of operations. The output of the sweep circuit is connected through lead 35 to a suitable output circuit for applying 60 cycles per second sawtooth waves thereto. This output circuit (not shown) may be the horizontal deflection plates of the cathode ray tube, or, if desired, a reactance tube for Ycausing a superheterodyne receiver to scan at a substantially uniform rate a predetermined portion of the radio, frequency spectrum. A suitable output circuit of the last type is de- 3 scribed in my copending application Serial No. 461,526, led October 10, 1942.

The Pulse generator provides square or rectangular wave pulses, and comprises a saw-tooth 4 I4 whose primary winding is connected to a re-f. whose secondary winding.

versing switch I3 and has shunted across it a condenser IB'and a variable resistor I5. The junctionk of the condenser VI 5 and variable resistor of the gas tube Il. The center point of the secondary winding of transformer I6 is connected to a tap on the bias resistor I1 which supplies negative bias for the grid of gas or glow tube I0. A condenser 2U is connected between the cathode and anode electrodes of gas tube I through a low value series resistor I9. The end of condenser 20 which is connected to the cathode of tube I is also connected to ground through a high value resistor I8. The anode of gas tube Il! is connected to a positive terminal B+ of a source of anode polarizing potential (as shown) while the cathode is connected to the upper terminal of resistor I8. Condenser 20 charges up at an approximately linear rate through resistor I8, and when this charge reaches a critical value overcoming the negative bias on the grid of tube I0, the condenser 20 discharges through the tube Il). During each discharge period, a sharp pulse of voltage is developed across resistor I9 as the condenser 20 discharges through the interelectrode space of gas triode I0. The phase or position of this pulse can be adjusted to any desired position relative to the saw-tooth cycle by means of switch I3 and variable resistor I5 of the phase shifter.

VThe sharp pulse developed across resistor I9 is applied to trip the unbalanced or unstable trigger circuit composed of interconnected vacuum tubes II and I2 The grid and anode electrodes ofrthese two tubes are interconnected to provide aregenerative action: Resistors 22 and 29 are connected between the positive'terminal B-lof a source of anode polarizing potential and the anodes of `tubes II and I2, respectively. The anode of tube I I is connected to the grid of tube I2 through a condenser 21, While the anode of tube I2 is connected to the grid of tube I I through a resistor 26. The grid of tube I I is connected to the negative terminal of a battery 24 whichbiases tube II to be non-conductive in the normal or stable state of the trigger. The grid of tube I2 is connected to ground through lead 44 and variable resistor 28. The cathode of tube I2 is directly connected to ground, while the cathode of tube I I is connected to ground through resistor 25 which has a variable tap 32 thereon extending to the control grid of pentode I of the saw-tooth wave sweep circuit. Normally, in the operation of the trigger circuit, tube II is non-conductive and biased to cut-off by battery 24. Tube I2 is, however, normally conductive and passes current because the grid is maintained'at substantially Zero bias. This condition of operation wherein tube IIis normally non-conductive and tube i2 conductive is called the stable state. In the active or unstable state, which is produced by the sharp I is connected to the grid l pulse of relative positive polarity developed across resistor I9 and applied to the grid of tube II, the current passing conditions of tubes II and I2 are reversed from that just described. After an interval of time in the active state, depending in part upon the values of resistor 28 and condenser 21, the trigger will restore itself to the stable state. It will thus be seen that the unbalanced or unstable trigger circuit has only one degree of electrical stability.

An exposition of the operation of the system will now be given with'particular reference to the curves of Fig. 2. The saw-tooth wave sweep circuit comprising` a grid-controlled gas tube 2 and constant current regulator pentode I produces saw-tooth waves of the form of curve 34 of Eig. 2 W

at a 60 cycle rate. Of course, if desired, the cyclic operation of the charge and discharge of condenser 3 can be synchronized to any integral submultiple of 60 cycles by proper adjustment of the slider on potentiometer 6 and the` value of resistor s. The operation of this type of sweep circuit kis well known in the art and repeated saw-tooth waves having the form of curve 34 of Fig. 2 will appear in the output between lead 35 and ground.

The second saw-tooth generator comprising grid-controlled gas tube I0 and associated elements in the pulse generator will cause condenser 2l) to charge through resistor I8 at an approximately uniform rate and to discharge periodically through gas triode I0. During each discharge period a sharp pulse of voltage of wave form 43 (Fig. 2) is developed across resistor I9. The phase or position of this voltage pulse ofwave form 43 can be adjusted to any desired position relative to the saw-tooth cycle wave 34 by means of switch I3 and variable resistor I5 of the phase shifter.

Voltage pulse 43 of Fig. 2 and of relatively positive polarity is applied tothe grid of tube II of the trigger circuit to trip the trigger, thus causing'tube II to re or conduct and causing tube I2 to cease conducting. The tripping of the trigger circuit produces a charge on Acondenser 21, and the active state of the trigger will persist until the charge on condenser 21 has dissipated through resistor 28'to aV critical value, such that its discharge current no longer develops suiiicient current through resistor 28 to maintain the tube I2 biased to cut ori, The trigger circuit de* velops a square or rectangular wave pulse across its cathode resistor 25 of the wave form'SS shown inFitZ'." A`

'The square wave pulse 36 is applied by tap 32 on resistor 25 directly to the control gridV of pentode I of the sweep circuit in order to alter the rate at which condenser 3 of the sweep circuit is charged. Normally, inconveritional practice, condenser 3 is charged at aV uniform rate by a constant current through pentodeA I. BY means of the present invention, the charge rate of condenser 3 is increased to a higher value during part of the saw-tooth cycle when square wave 35 is applied to the control grid of pentode I. This action modifies the saw-tooth voltage as shown in wave form 34'to a modied form as shown in wave form curve 31 of Fig. 2. In this wave form 31 the slope from pointM has been increased to a greater valueduring the period of application of sduare pulse 35. .In order to assure proper synchronisrnworfY the modified wave form .with the 60 cycle source, it may be necessary, depending `upon the extent of modification, to vary the value of resistor 9 or the position of the tap on resistor 6.

By way of explanat'on of how the invention form being viewed on the screen.

produces a useful and valuable result, wave form curves 38 and 42 of Fig. 2 are given. Wave form curve 38 shows a sine wave of voltage as it appears on the screen of a cathode ray tube when a conventional linear time base or saw-tooth sweep is used. Wave form curve 42 shows the appearance of a sine wave on the cathode ray screen when a sweep wave like that of form 31 is used. In this case a short portion of the sine wave has been greatly expanded so that it is displayed on the cathode ray screen in great detail. By proper manipulation of switch I3 and variable resistors I5 in the phase shifter and resistor 28, and the sliding contact of resistor 25 of the trigger, any desired portion of the saw-tooth cycle may be modified to expand a given detail of the wave In practice, it may also be necessary to readjust variable resistor 9 in the sweep circuit in order to keep the same initial saw-tooth sweep frequency.

The principles of the present invention can also be used to obtain a compression of any desired portion of the saw-tooth wave rather than an expansion, and this can be achieved by applying to the control of pentode Il a rectangular wave similar to pulse 36 of Fig. 2 but of opposite polarity.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a triangular wave generator including a condenser and circuits for charging and periodically discharging said condenser, of an unbalanced trigger circuit for altering the rate of charge of said condenser over only a part of its charge cycle, said trigger circuit comprising' a pair of vacuum tubes each having a cathode, a control electrode and an anode, one of said tubes being normally conductive and the other of said tubes being normally non-conductive in the stable state of the trigger circuit, means to provide a cutoif bias for the grid of said normally non-conducting tube, means including a resistor for the grid of said normal conducting tube whereby said grid is maintained at substantially zero bias, a condenser coupling said nor- .rnally conducting tube grid to the anode of said normally non-conducting tube, said resistor and said condenser together being operative to restore said trigger circuit to the stable state after a predetermined time interval in the unstable state, and means for applying sharp voltage pulses of predetermined polarity in synchronism with the frequency of the triangular wave generator to trip said trigger from its stable state to its unstable state.

2. The combination with a saw-tooth wave generator having a condenser, a circuit for charging said condenser at a uniform rate including a constant current regulator tube, and a circuit for discharging said condenser including a gaseous tube in shunt to said condenser, of means for altering the normal rate of charge of said condenser including a pulse generator operating in synchronism with said saw-tooth wave generator, and a connection for supplying pulses from said pulse generator to a control electrode of said constant current regulator tube.

3. The combination with a saw-tooth wave generator having a condenser, a circuit for charging said condenser at a uniform rate including a constant current regulator tube, and a circuit for discharging said condenser including a gaseous tube in shunt to said condenser, a source of stable low frequency current for synchronizing the operation of said saw-tooth wave generator, of means for altering the normal rate of charge of said condenser including a pulse generator, a connection for supplying pulses from said pulse generator to a control electrode of said constant current regulator tube, and a circuit for controlling said pulse generator from said source of synchronizing current.

4. The combination with a saw-tooth Wave generator having a condenser, a circuit for charging said condenser at a uniform rate including a constant current regulator tube, and a circuit for discharging said condenser including a gaseous tube in shunt to said condenser, a source of stable low frequency current for synchronizing the operation of said saw-tooth wave generator. of means for altering the normal rate of charge of said condenser including a square wave pulse generator, a connection for supplying pulses from said pulse generator to a control electrode of said constant current regulator tube, and a circuit for controlling said pulse generator from said source of synchronizing current, said last circuit including a phase shifter for enabling said pulse generator to produce pulses at any desired position relative to the saw-tooth cycle.

WARREN H. BLISS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 

